Former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je has been released on bail after being detained for four months and officially charged with taking bribes and misusing funds. A judge rejected prosecutors' request to keep Ko in custody, along with four others involved in the case.
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00:00Walking free for the first time in four months, former Taipei Mayor Ko Wenzhe heads home with
00:08a smile on his face after spending most of his corruption investigation held incommunicado.
00:14He was visibly emotional as he addressed supporters outside his home, maintaining his innocence
00:19after prosecutors officially charged him with acts of corruption.
00:24I would like to thank God for giving me this opportunity to reflect on my life.
00:29I still believe that I am not a slave, a corrupt person.
00:34But I still have to reflect on my life when I am in this situation.
00:40Ko is implicated in a corruption scandal involving a land redevelopment project when he was mayor.
00:46He's also been charged with misusing political funds during his failed run for president this year.
00:51Four others charged in the case were offered bail on Friday, including Ko's former deputy mayor
00:56and the head of a company in charge of the development project in question.
01:00Their combined bail is over US$3 million.
01:04Ko is the most high-profile figure in the case.
01:06A crowd outside the courthouse erupted in cheers early Friday morning when the judge struck down
01:11the prosecutor's request to extend his detention.
01:14We thank you!
01:17Leading members of the party he founded, the Taiwan People's Party, were also there.
01:22We have never given up.
01:25But I have a favor to ask of all of you.
01:31We still have a long way to go.
01:36We still have a long way to go.
01:39Please remember one thing.
01:42This is not just for Abe.
01:45This is for the people of Taiwan.
01:48For Taiwan's democracy.
01:50For Taiwan's rule of law.
01:52We will continue to follow Abe.
01:56We will never give up.
01:58Ko's supporters have called the charges a political attack by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party
02:03to shut down the TPP as a rising third party.
02:06The party plays a vital swing role in the legislature,
02:09and Ko ran strongly in this year's presidential election.
02:12The trial is expected to last months,
02:15and if found guilty, Ko faces a potential 28 and a half years in prison
02:19if the prosecutors get their way.
02:21But his release, even if temporary, is a welcome relief to his family, party and supporters.
02:27Fu Ah-hong and Tiffany Wong for Taiwan Plus.